Police: Drunk West Hempstead Man Drove 10 Miles in Wrong Direction

A West Hempstead man was arrested Christmas morning for driving while intoxicated after allegedly driving 10 miles in the wrong direction on the Northern State Parkway.

According to New York State Police, at 5:12 a.m., troopers were dispatched to a report of a wrong-way driver on the Northern State Parkway east of Glen Cove Road. The vehicle, a white Chevrolet Malibu, was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes starting at exit 31.

The Chevrolet caused two accidents before troopers were able to stop the vehicle near exit 40, police said. The vehicle operator, Raymond Hulsman, 35, of West Hempstead, was arrested for DWI.

According to police, both accidents that Hulsman caused were single-car accidents into the cement median, while attempting to avoid being struck by the defendant's vehicle. Neither vehicle made contact with Hulsman's car. The operator of one of the vehicles that Hulsman ran off the roadway was treated for back pain at Winthrop Hospital.

Hulsman's breath sample showed a blood alcohol content of .15 percent. He was charged with DWI, reckless endangerment in the second degree and multiple traffic violations.